Australia has retained the Women's Ashes at Manuka Oval after a superb bowling display from budding superstar Darcie Brown, who did the damage before a late England fightback.
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Katherine Brunt and Kate Cross fought bravely with a 24-run stand for the final wicket, before Jess Jonassen dismissed the latter with a sharp caught and bowled opportunity to give Australia a 27-run win.
In the end it was too high a mountain to climb for England, as the visitors struggled to stave off Brown's brilliance.
An athletic caught and bowled by the 18-year-old in the 27th over to dismiss the dangerous Nat Sciver for 45 was the moment that broke England's back as Brown finished with 4-34 in just her fourth one-day international.
The win gives Australian an unassailable 8-4 points lead in the series, with just two one-day internationals remaining. England can now only level the series should they win the last two matches in Melbourne - not enough to wrestle back the Ashes.
In just her fourth ODI, Brown consistently sent the ball down above 115 km/h, and came close to a hat-trick earlier on in the visitors' innings.
She captured Tammy Beaumont and in-form skipper Heather Knight in consecutive deliveries, before Sciver unconvincingly survived the hat-trick ball.
It was the second time in five days Brown had dismissed Knight LBW, after claiming her prized wicket in the second innings of last week's Test at this venue.
"I guess I'm just trying to pitch it up and get it to swing a bit, I guess if you aim at the stumps, she misses I hit," Brown said.
"I can't really bowl them that often but luckily these two have worked out and they've been pretty similar balls.
"To be a part of the Ashes and to retain it with this group is pretty special.
"We backed our bowlers to defend that total. We've got a pretty good bowling line up so we weren't too fussed about it."
All-rounder Tahlia McGrath also bowled brilliantly, claiming 2-34 after scoring 29 with the bat, while Megan Schutt finished with 2-39 to become the fifth Australian woman to reach 100 ODI wickets.
"Of course there's disappointment, you come out here and the goal was to try and get the Ashes back," England captain Heather Knight said.
"We've been proud of some of the stuff we've done but ultimately now we've got to start to try winning games. We'll be disappointed and try and reassess and go again for the next game."
Earlier, Knight won the toss and bowled. It looked an astute decision as Rachael Haynes (4) and Ellyse Perry (0) fell early.
But Beth Mooney, still recovering from surgery to repair a broken jaw, held the innings together with a classy 73 from 91 balls.
She was dismissed by spearhead Katherine Brunt on the final ball of Australia's innings as the hosts finished on 9-205.
Brunt was ably supported by Kate Cross, luckless in last week's Test match, who grabbed 3-33 including the wickets of Perry and the dangerous Alyssa Healy.
The pair then teamed up for a last-ditch stand but it was a bridge too far. Sciver was the only other visitor who offered serious resistance.